Hyperhidrosis is often a distressing, socially debilitating condition, affecting a small but significant proportion of the world population. While symptoms usually begin during adolescence, it can also occur in other age groups.

Treatment options given to patients who suffer from hyperhidrosis usually depend on the severity of their case and which body area is affected. Non-surgical treatments such as oral medications, anti-perspirants, ointments, botox injections and iontophoresis, are the usual initial options given to patients. When none of those treatments prove beneficial or effective, there are also surgical treatments available to patients seeking more permanent results.

In the past, surgical procedures done for hyperhidrosis cases usually involve a painful incision either at the chest, back or neck (e.g. upper thoracic sympathectomy). Most often than not, these highly invasive procedures result to complications such as brachial plexus, phrenic nerve injury, or Horner’s Syndrome, a condition that can cause dropping of the upper eyelids and eye dryness. In rare cases, excessive bleeding may likewise happen. Due to recent technological advances, minimally invasive surgical methods, such as thoracoscopic sympathectomy or otherwise known as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS), were made possible.

ETS is a surgical procedure that intends to interrupt sympathetic nerve impulses sent to the sweat glands and prevent localized excessive sweating (usually in the hands and face). While the patient is under general anesthesia, a 5-mm. endoscope is inserted into a small incision made below the underarm to identify the second through fourth ganglia. The identified branches to the main sympathetic chain at each level are divided before the main chain is removed. The same procedure is done on the patient’s other side, which is crucial in preventing symptoms from recurring years later.

ETS is most effective in treating excessive hand and facial sweating, with a success rate of more than 98%. It also gives additional relief to excessive feet sweating. While it is a highly effective procedure with permanent results, it has very minimal complication rate. Incident of Horner’s Syndrome for instance, is about less than 1%.

As with most surgical procedures, ETS also has some side effects and the most common of which is compensatory sweating. Compensatory sweating occurs in about 50% of ETS patients. Also, there are reported cases of small pneumothorax after the operation, but in this case, no medical intervention is required and patients can usually go home after 24 hours.

While ETS is generally safe and a highly effective method in treating hyperhidrosis cases, it is still best for patients to look only for experienced, highly competent and certified surgeons for excellent and long-term results.

Sweating is the body’s natural response to an intense situation. The nervous system immediately senses any stressors in the body’s immediate environment and signals the sweat glands to produce sweat. This helps the body, which naturally heats up during stressful moments, regulate its own temperature. This is most obvious when we are subjected to climates warmer than our own, when exercising, or when we feel nervous, angry, embarrassed, or afraid.

While sweating is perfectly normal, excessive sweating may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. Excessive sweating is normally defined as the state when the body produces more sweat than is needed to regulate the body temperature. Excessive sweating is also known by its medical term, hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis is a medical disorder characterized by excessive sweating at any part of the body. It is a medical condition that causes the sufferer to experience unpredictable and excessive sweating, even at cool and comfortable temperatures, or when they are at rest. Cases of hyperhidrosis usually affect specific parts of the body, such as hands, armpits and feet. Excessive sweating in the hands is called palmar hyperhidrosis; in the armpits, it’s called axillary hyperhidrosis; and in the feet, it’s called plantar hyperhidrosis. The sympathetic nervous system controls much of the sweating process, and any problem affecting it may affect the body’s perspiration system.

Hyperhidrosis can be primary or secondary. Primary hypehidrosis usually starts during or even before the individual’s adolescent stage. In primary hyperhidrosis, the affected part of the body may be the hands, feet, or armpits. Primary hyperhidrosis is also known as focal hyperhidrosis and can run in families. Often, sufferers ignore the symptoms of primary hyperhidrosis – according to studies, primary hyperhidrosis affects 2-3% of the population, and not even 40% of these sufferers seek medical advice regarding this disorder.

Secondary hyperhidrosis, on the other hand, may come unexpectedly. It can affect anybody at any age. This type of hyperhidrosis is the result of an underlying condition, such as a disorder of the thyroid or pituitary gland, diabetes mellitus, tumors, gout, menopause, certain drugs, or mercury poisoning. The symptoms of secondary hyperhidrosis may be more serious than primary hyperhidrosis.

Regardless of the type and reason for onset, hyperhidrosis poses a serious physical and psychological problem for the sufferer. The discomfort and embarrassment the condition brings may affect the individual emotionally, and may cause him/her to delay or even forego treatment. It’s important to set aside fears and see a dermatologist immediately once your levels of perspiration causes you to worry. Identified early, hyperhidrosis may necessitate only mild forms of treatment and be prevented from escalating any further.